


Absence Of You

by CrazedPanda



Series: Home Is Whenever I'm With You [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Jody to the Rescue, Lack of Communication, Misunderstandings, Multi, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 14:06:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16286021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazedPanda/pseuds/CrazedPanda
Summary: At Jody's she finds some space and time to heal, but maybe there are some things that can't be fixed.Thank you to my lovely betas, Edge_of_Clairvoyance and ToscaRosetti, for helping me with this. And especially pointing out where my pronouns needed untangling!





	Absence Of You

Over the next months, she became comfortable staying at Jody's, finding it much better than living on her own. She both adored and respected Jody, found Alex sweet, if a bit reserved, and got along well with Claire - the feisty blond beta had a bit of a prickly disposition, but from what she'd gathered, Claire's past had provided more than enough of a just cause to make her defiant and suspicious. She was slowly winning her over and didn't push her or take it personally when Claire shut her down.

She herself was feeling pretty quiet. She'd gotten back on her suppressants as soon as possible, but still found herself unsettled and emotional at times. All the ladies in the house had proven they were able to discern and respect when she needed space and she was infinitely grateful for their acceptance and understanding. 

She was also learning more about the supernatural world from certain conversations that came up every now and then. She almost wished this wasn't the case; each time such a conversation came up, she would inevitably have nightmares imagining the terrible things that could be happening to Sam and Dean in her absence. Not that she could keep them from danger, that was preposterous, but it still distressed her. At the same time, she was hungry for any knowledge of them, their “job”, and their whereabouts, even though she knew it was going to worry her.

It was a Saturday morning after breakfast, Jody had just got off the phone when she looked up with an indulgent smile. “The boys are on a case in the area. They said they'd be by for lunch; nice of them to give me the heads up I'll be needing enough food to feed an army.”

She scrambled to keep the whorl of emotions off her face. “S-ssam and Dean?” Jody searched her discerningly; she hadn't done as good a job as she'd intended keeping her tone casual, she just hoped she was doing a better job with her expression. 

Finally, Jody nodded, “Yep. Is that okay?”

“Oh, yes, of course. It'll be nice seeing them again.” Which was true enough. And at the same time, couldn't be further from it. 

She could tell Jody was inferring more than she intended to show her, but she apparently decided to let it go for the time being. “Do you want to help me with lunch?”

“I'd like that.” Something to keep her busy, would be most welcome, and ideally prevent her anxiety from amping up to the point she couldn't hide it.

With no further comment, Jody began the meal prep. The alpha's ability to once again sense what she needed was most appreciated and they worked well together with few words necessary. Shortly before the Winchester's eta, they'd pulled together a lasagna casserole, french bread, and salad. Maybe not enough for an army, but possibly a high school sports team. 

 

When the rumble of the impala was heard in the driveway, she chose to hang back, as Jody went out to meet them and get her hugs. They came in and hugged Alex and Claire, the latter pretending it was something she had to endure, but obviously enjoying it. 

When it couldn't be avoided any longer, she found herself exchanging awkward smiles and pressed between them in a brief hug. She held her breath; as much as she wanted to soak up their scents and the security of being close to them, she didn't want to have some sort of embarrassing reaction. Thankfully, it was over quickly and they all filed into the dining room. 

...__...__...__...

 

Jody always felt more at ease when her entire pack was seated around her table. It made for a lot of long weeks, her wolf claiming these two hunters that it insisted on viewing as motherless pups. Time spent worrying about where they were, what they were up to, if they were getting enough sleep, if they were injured, or had found some excuse to recklessly sacrifice themselves - again.

Her peace was marred by the fact that something was off with her newest addition. The girl had obviously been through a lot and was steadily piecing herself together, but something specifically was amiss since this morning. She was allowing her space for now, content to keep a close eye on her. 

To add to that, Sam and Dean were at odds. She hadn't noticed it until after they'd sat down, but they were bristling at each other. The platter of food passed by one of them, was somehow subtly passed over the other, so it took a long time for both of them to be fully served. Mostly because neither of them would admit to what was happening and ask for what they needed. At the moment, the salad bowl was seemingly accidentally lodged behind Dean's elbow. Both brothers looked to be studiously ignoring it despite the fact it was the only thing lacking on Sam's plate and he most certainly wanted some. 

She was about to intervene and put an end to this nonsense, when Y/N very casually and sweetly piped up. “Dean, if you're done with the salad, may I please have some?”

He jumped like a child caught with a hand in the forbidden cookie jar, but tried to cover it up quickly, reaching to hand her the bowl. 

It was all Jody could do to hide her astonishment when she shot a mischievous smirk at both boys, “I just wanted a chance at it before Sam takes the rest.”

The tension was forgotten for the moment, both brothers displaying unaffected amusement at her statement, and Sam gratefully accepted the salad once she was finished serving herself. 

Jody was left mulling over the scene she'd just witnessed. Y/N had instinctually sensed the tension building and effortlessly diffused it. Neither Sam nor Dean appeared to be aware of what had happened, and she couldn't be sure how aware the omega was of what she'd done, but the fact that she had done it was undeniable. 

Later they gathered in the living room, minus Claire and Alex who were working on clean up. Sam and Dean tried to resume their silent feud, starting to shoot resentful looks toward each other. Dean began telling a story at a higher volume than was necessary, full of tiny barbs aimed at his brother. Sam, meanwhile, was trying to act as though he was ignoring what was going on, while his expression grew darker and more ominous. 

There was a brief pause in the conversation and Jody was about to change the subject, when Y/N beat her to it. “What happened there?” she pointed to a small scar on Dean's jaw.

Dean immediately sobered, but tried to play it off, “Some two-bit monster thought he could get the drop on me, but Sam ganked him.”

Y/N searched Dean's face, then glanced to Sam. She nodded, with a knowing look like she'd read plain as day the true severity of the attack. Her voice was low and earnest, “Things might have ended differently; I'm just glad you two are together, so you can have each others backs.”

The boys shared a chagrined look, apparently agreeing to call a truce; there was almost no trace of whatever they'd been fighting about after that. Jody marveled again. The omega’s gentle reminder of their concern for and reliance on each other had been enough to put an end to the pettiness. Had she known that would work? How?

She went to refill her coffee, shaking her head. She wasn't certain about what exactly was going on here, but she was sure as hell going to get to the bottom of it. 

When she returned to the living room, Sam and Dean were alone. “Where is Y/N?”

Dean shrugged, “She excused herself a minute ago.”

Jody frowned, she had a bad feeling all of a sudden. After a moment's hesitation, she turned and walked down the hall to find the omega. Jody wanted to respect her privacy, but also had a responsibility to take care of her. The alpha vaguely noted the boys had got up and were following her, but her main focus was obeying her wolf's directive to go check on the troubled girl. 

The door to her bedroom was open enough Jody could see in - see Y/N sitting on the floor with her back propped against the bed, her legs drawn up, arms resting on her knees. There were tears in her eyes and Jody's wolf sprang into action. She knelt next to the distressed omega and lifted her up on the bed, sitting next to her and tucking her head under Jody's chin so she could surround her with comforting alpha scent.

It took a moment for the omega to be able to speak, “I'm sorry.”

Jody soothed a hand over her head, “What are you sorry for, sweetie?” 

“Losing it; trying to hide it from you.”

Jody gently pulled apart just enough she could look into her eyes. She was swiftly regaining her composure, but there were still tears trailing down her face.

“You are allowed to cry; that's not something you need to apologize for. And when I asked you to tell me if I could help you, that was a request, not a demand. You have the right to your privacy. Maybe I should be apologizing for intruding -"

She shook her head, “No, I just didn't know how to . . . I'm glad you're here.”

Jody glanced over at the two by the door. They were frozen, a cascade of emotions and impulses warring across their faces. They weren't her primary concern at the moment, though. “Would you rather we were alone right now?”

She looked a little more conflicted about that, “You don't have to send them away.”

Jody beckoned them in, and after a moment's consideration they sat on the floor in near unison. 

Jody turned her attention back to the girl. “Would it help to tell us what's wrong? You understand this isn't an order, or requirement, and no one's going to be upset if you don't want to.” Situations like this were touchy, with a distraught omega surrounded by three intensely concerned alphas. The boys’ purposeful choice to make themselves as unintimidating as possible by sitting cross legged below them was much appreciated here. 

The omega hesitated. She turned inward and gripped at Jody's jacket, gathering up courage for what she about to say. Her voice was low but clear when she spoke, “My wolf thinks . . . that I belong to them. I know - I don't . . . I understand that's not the case. I don't expect anything, I already owe them everything. I'm not asking for anything or trying to manipulate anyone. I've tried, I just can't make it understand. Being near them just hurts. I don't want it to be like that. Maybe it'll get better with time, I don't know. I'm so sorry.”

Her heightened distress following this confession, prompted Jody to wrap her arms around her and just hold her until it had subsided. She tried not to glare at the two boys who were both in a state of shock. Everything had more or less clicked into place for her, but she wanted to confirm her suspicions. “Well? The omega has had the courage to speak up. Do either of you have anything you'd like to add?”

“I -" Sam was the first to manage to speak. His voice was subdued, sad, “My wolf feels the same way. For a long time. It's been really pissed at me for trying to ignore it.”

“And why would you be trying to ignore it?” Jody was having a hard time not rolling her eyes; exactly how long had they been dancing around this without actually talking about it?

“Are you serious? You know what we do; you know how dangerous it is. I can't drag her into this life. It wouldn't be fair.”

“What's not fair is you making this decision without her. And what about you? You've been awfully quiet.” She looked pointedly at Dean.

“I want her.” There was a brief flash in his eyes that spoke of the sincerity in his simple statement, then he looked down, somber and a little guilty. “She was Sam's, though. He met her first; I knew how he felt about her. I didn't mean to fall for his girl.”

“Sam had dibs? Really? Sounded to me like she was talking about both of you just now.”

Dean's eyes snapped back to hers, “We can't share her, Jody.”

“Why not? If I'm not mistaken, you already have.”

“That was . . .” he glanced at Sam. “She needed our help, so we made it work.”

“But you can't ‘make it work’ so the three of you can be happy? Look, I'm not trying to make this decision for you, I can't know what's best for you. I just want you to actually talk it out. This conversation should have happened much earlier.”

She took a breath and looked around at all three of them. “Here's what I know: your wolves represent your core instincts. If all three of you instinctively *know* you belong together, I'd at least take notice of that, and entertain the possibility that maybe it's because you do. A poly relationship isn't for everyone, but it's not unheard of, or against nature, so don't rule it out just because it's not something you considered before. And you can correct me if I'm wrong, but you two have been bristling and posturing at each other all afternoon because you were feeling possessive over her, and she broke it up like she'd been doing it her whole life. It seems to me like her wolf already knows intrinsically how to manage yours. You can make this work if you want to. That's up to the three of you to decide.”

She looked down at Y/N who was surprised, but hopeful at the turn the conversation had taken. “I think I'll step out, if that's okay, but the door will stay open so you can call me or come get me if you need to.” 

She nodded.

“You have an equal say in this conversation; it affects your future. So don't be afraid to speak up.”

A small smile grew on her face, “Yes, ma'am. Thank you.” 

Jody squeezed her arm affectionately and left them to it.

**Author's Note:**

> You gotta love Jody! Sorry if the summary sounded foreboding, I was totally messing with you guys.


End file.
